A/N: This is for my Raechull (moonfaerie326). Merry (late) Christmas babe!
PROMISE ME
Promise me. She had said it one day.
Tony ran his hand through his hair as he sat at his desk preparing for this meet. He had gone undercover on short notice for a brief assignment. An assignment so brief, if you blinked you would probably miss it.
Director Vance had approached him a mere twelve hours ago about a gathering Intel on a Marine sergeant who was helping a notorious and intelligent Italian mob boss traffic drugs into the U.S. Of course when Tony approached him the mob boss immediately picked up on the 'cop smell' and had his men do a background check. Salvatore Russo was surprised when he learned that 'Antonio Gallo' had done some time for breaking entering, but that did not suppress his suspicion. Something was fishy and he could smell it. So he made a few calls and found out that the only Antonio Gallo lived in Queens, New York and was currently six feet under.
Russo knew he should have never trusted that sergeant. His first instinct was that he could be a spy, but Russo's go to guy said no way. The sergeant was just money hungry because he had just went through a divorce. Now look what happens, a fed comes asking questions about this marine sergeant. Well Russo knew how to solve this problem.
Tony replayed the message for Gibbs one more time to ease the thought that hey had missed something.
"Yo, Antonio! What's up man? Surprised I am talking to you since you're supposed to be DEAD. Listen, if you guys at NCIS want to see your Marine sergeant alive, you'll forget all about me and come and pick him up. ALONE Agent DiNozzo, unless you both want to leave in a body bag."
Gibbs stood there with a solemn expression on his face. Something felt off but he didn't know what.
"All right Ant-onio I'll meet you in the car whenever you're ready." Gibbs said before entering the elevator.
Ziva sat her desk staring intently at Tony. Like Gibbs she felt that something was off, so off it was causing her stomach to knot up. Her emotions tugged at her and she had this inexplicable urge to cry. Ziva subconsciously shook her head, trying unsuccessfully to shake her feelings away.
When Tony grabbed his gun and badge and started for the elevator Ziva jolted up and grabbed him by the shirt. He abruptly stopped and their eyes locked. Tony saw something there that he had never seen coming from Ziva. Fear? Could that be fear in her eyes?
"Ziva-" Tony began but was abruptly cut off.
"Promise me you will come back." Ziva said in a whisper so low if you weren't six inches away from her like Tony, it would seem that she hadn't said anything. Tony questioned her with his eyes, not believing what she was saying. Ziva tightened her grip on his shirt and brought their noses closes together.
"Promise me." She said a little louder, her eyes started to tear up.
"Promise." Tony finally answered. He looked down at her with concern. And when she shed her first tear he moved to wipe it away. Ziva swiftly turned away though, and headed for the bathroom. Tony didn't know why she was crying, or why she was so fearful of this meeting. He was sure of one thing, and that was that he would return to her, no matter what.
-*-
Ziva paced back and forth in the middle of the team's sector, worrying about Tony. They hadn't been gone for more than hour, but to Ziva it seemed like eternity. She decided to call down to the lab and check with McGee if he and Abby had found anything to link Russo to the incoming shipment of drugs.
"Hi, McGee. Have you found anything?" She asked. Suddenly all she could hear was the sound of a woman's voice from the plasma.
"Breaking News: Shots fired at an abandoned warehouse in Fairfax, leaving a federal Agent injured."
At that moment her world stopped. Without even acknowledging what McGee said, Ziva hung up and then dialed Gibbs' number. When she received no answer her heart rate sped up and her fingers moved a lot quicker to dial Tony's cell phone. She continued to call the both of them for the next ten minutes, but had no luck. In a daze, she walked to the other side of the stairs, the same side she had told Tony he was a good person, the same side she and Tony had fought about Locke. As she slid down the cool wall, her tears began to flow like an open water faucet.
-*-
There she sat, knees to her chest, arms wrapped around them, trying to hold herself together. She waged a war within herself about what had just happened.
'Maybe it was not Tony that was injured.'
'If it was not then why has he not contacted you?'
'If he was the one injured, perhaps it is just minor.'
'If it were so "minor", why would the news report it?'
Ziva was so lost in her thoughts that she failed to register the male presence that she had come to love.
"Hey." The familiar voice called out, breaking her from her trance. Ziva was to her feet in less than two seconds and standing in front of him, waiting for an explanation. He was too wrapped in the state he had found her in, red swollen eyes, flushed face, drippy nose, to realize what she was waiting for.
"Tony, I thought you were-" Ziva said, her voice raw and full of emotion. It was then that he snapped out of whatever hold he was in and thought clearly.
"I'm sorry I didn't answer your call. There was a lot going on. Patterson took one in the arm when the Sergeant pulled his gun and tried to escape from custody. Man that guy was muscular. Not like Terminator muscular, more like Gerard Butler in 300 musc-" Tony's ramblings were silenced by Ziva's lips colliding with his own. Her hands traced his toned arms up to tangle in his hair. His arms wrapped slowly around her waist while his hands began tracing lazy circles on her lower back. When their tongues met, passion exploded like a volcano in their mouths.
-*-
Later that night, a naked and half asleep Ziva reached out and expected to find her new lover's warm and willing body next to her, but all she found were cool sheets. She inwardly cursed herself for thinking she was more than just a one night stand to Tony. Her thoughts of all his previous conquests faded away as he walked back into the bedroom with a glass of water in his hand.
"Hey sweet cheeks." Tony said as he sat down next to her and started to run his fingers through her hair. He took a sip of his water before placing the glass on the night stand next to the bed.
"Man! Having amazing sex with a beautiful ninja like you sure does make a guy thirsty." Tony smirked at his comment, before kissing Ziva. He slowly placed kisses from her neck down to her collarbone. When he reached it he began to suck at the sensitive skin there, but he stopped when his ministrations drew no effect from Ziva. He looked up at her and sensed her hesitation. With his eyes he questioned what had changed.
"Promise me you will be here in the morning." Ziva said, quietly.
Tony smiled and couldn't believe she actually thought he wouldn't stay. "Promise."
The words had never held as much meaning as they did in this moment.
As they rushed toward the ambulance with Tony on the stretcher, Ziva felt the same pain, the same worry, the same emotion she did on that day eight months ago. She looked down at his pale form, thinking the worst.
"Promise me you will not die, Tony." Ziva called out to him as the ambulance sirens seemed to drown everything and everyone else out.
Tony looked up at her and tried to muster the strength to say what she needed him to. The task seemed impossible to do with his shallow breathing due to the bullet hole that was oozing blood from his side.
"Promise." He breathed out. Ziva looked at him and tried to believe what he had said was the truth. His lips then jutted out slightly and he tried to raise his neck to kiss her. She smiled and realized he was being strong for her. Ziva poured every ounce of passion she had into that chaste kiss, and it meant everything to the both of them at that point in time.
When they parted the paramedics loaded Tony into the ambulance and shut the doors in Ziva's face. As she heard the sirens echo away, a single tear fell from her eyes and she hoped with everything she had that he would make it through this.
Gibbs watched Ziva stand there, as if she were a statue. He had known for some time that they were together, but the exchange he had just seen between the two of them made him forget about all the pain rule twelve could bring.
A month later, they lay sweaty and panting in Tony's bed after just completing one of the most intense lovemaking sessions either had had experienced. There was no doubt from either party that it would be after not being able to curve their addiction for a month, but Tony needed to rest and to heal.
While he caught his breath, Ziva traced the scar from the bullet on his side.
"Promise me we can have sex that good every night." Tony said. Both of them were lying on their sides facing each other.
Ziva smiled and kissed him before saying, "Promise."
FIN
Hope you liked it babe :).